


Imaginary Husbands

by NotTheProtagonist



Category: Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: F/M, about some dorks, embarassing themselves, itty bitty one shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-24
Updated: 2018-09-24
Packaged: 2019-07-16 10:38:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16084418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NotTheProtagonist/pseuds/NotTheProtagonist
Summary: During lunch, the girls daydream about their future husbands, but someone is eavesdropping.





	Imaginary Husbands

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! It's been a while since I posted anything and this had been sat on my computer for a while so hope you enjoy! :)

The moment Miss Stacy uttered the word 'dismissed', the girls of the class seized their lunches and arranged themselves in the warmest corner of the classroom, where the spring sun was always angled to douse them in the early afternoon rays.  
The six girls divided their lunch as they always did, sharing the delicacies their staff or mothers had baked.  
“Diana, your cook is so good at tarts.” Josie simpered, admiring the evenly-baked crust, before casting her eyes down at the scones Anne had brought. “I think some of us could learn from them.”  
Anne's skin grew thicker with each of Josie's attempts at intimidation. She had baked the scones with no assistance from Marilla, and she was proud of them. That was enough for her.  
“I agree.” Anne said, chomping on some carrot sticks and attempting to ignore their bright colour.  
Ruby fondly watched Miss Stacy retire to her back room, craning her neck before she closed the door. “I wonder if Miss Stacy would like to eat with us.”  
Tillie grinned. “I want to hear all about her husband. I bet he was very handsome. And clever.” She added quickly.  
Josie scoffed. “Handsome? I bet he was about as handsome as Mr Phillips.”  
The girls giggled, momentarily attracting the attention of the remaining students. Most of the boys had gone outside for a game of football, though Gilbert, Moody and Charlie stayed at their desks, chattering about something that was sure to bore the girls.  
“Prissy didn't have a problem with the way Phillips looked.” Jane raised her eyebrows. “Until he looked like a groom.” She remarked with a devious smile.  
“His moustache was so horrid.” Ruby shuddered. “My husband shall have no facial hair at all.” She declared.  
The other girls shot quick glances at one another. Usually the words 'my husband' were a prefix for Gilbert's name, however she had mysteriously abandoned it. Happy not to upset Ruby by bringing it up, they remained quiet.  
“My husband will be strong.” Josie said wistfully, glancing outside. “And-”  
“Named Billy Andrews?” Ruby interrupted, squealing when Josie playfully slapped her arm.  
“Ew!” Jane exclaimed and leaned away from Josie. “Why would you want to marry my brother!?”  
“I don't!” She said hotly, and the matter was dropped.  
Diana cleared her throat. “I'd like my husband to be hard-working.” She said primly, keeping her eyes on the hem of her dress. “And...sweet.” She smiled, already hopeful for a certain candidate her parents were sure to detest.  
Tillie chewed her lip in thought. “I hope mine is nice to me. I think I'd like to marry someone who can protect me.”  
The girls nodded understandably – it was a very charming sentiment.  
“Mine will be strong too.” Jane said, rubbing her apple absent-mindedly. “And not from Avonlea.” She cast her eyes up to an unusually quiet Anne, who was picking at a crumbling scone. “What about you, Anne?”  
Gilbert Blythe suddenly thought it was very important that he leaned back in his chair and strained his ears.  
Unfortunately she seemed to be taking her time to answer, time in which Moody and Charlie were exchanging confused looks at Gilbert's odd behaviour.  
“I'd like him to be...my equal.” She said, with a small nod. With a glance up, she realised the girls were looking at her rather curiously.  
A segment of her mind reminded her not to be odd, and she quickly added to her future husband's description. “And...um, rich.” In her efforts to fit in, fuelled by her ever-present insecurity that her friends would decide she was too weird and abandon her, she continued.  
“Someone who'd climb towers and slay beasts if I asked him to. Someone who looks like a prince and with an imagination to rival my own.” She bit her lip, before adding the real kicker. “And he must be...erm, very... strapping.”  
By what could only be a miraculous coincidence, Gilbert's chair slid too far and he fell to the ground, letting out a loud groan as his spine bashed the floorboards.  
“Gilbert!” Moody exclaimed, covering his mouth in horror instead of helping his friend up.  
“I'm fine!” Gilbert insisted, his face flushing a mad red as his mind screamed at him to fix this horrific travesty.  
Was she serious?  
How was he supposed to compete with some imaginary pinnacle of masculinity? Did a man like that even exist outside fiction? Further questions pecked at Gilbert like flies and he resisted the urge to shake his head free of them.  
If a man like that did exist, Gilbert sadly concluded, Anne was sure to find him. He had seen her determination first-hand and she rarely said something she didn't mean.

As Charlie and Moody chatted about something, Gilbert dolefully flicked at the corner of his sandwich. He had been silly to let his hopes flourish after Bash and Mary's wedding.  
Of course Anne would set her sights high when it came to a husband – her ambitions were remarkably high in every other aspect of her life.  
But...he knew he could make her happy.  
He was her equal. They had tied in almost every test Miss Stacy had given. They both had ambitions beyond the beautiful but limiting confines of Avonlea.  
He wasn't rich, but a doctor's career could be lucrative in the right environment.  
Gilbert hadn't had much experience with towers or beasts – he'd climbed the Gillis house to help with the repairs and saved Anne from Billy, did that count?  
As for his looks, there was little he could do about those. He'd always been reasonably happy with them, more so when Bash tried to tease him.  
And Anne wanted someone who was 'strapping'? He'd never even heard Anne use that word before.  
Though he knew it was perfectly stupid, he sat with folded arms and a small pout.  
It wasn't as if he'd been planning a proposal or anything. He had just hoped Anne looked his way because she liked more than his mind.

The girls faced one another once more and sat in complete silence until Gilbert had righted himself and the chair.  
“How odd.” Ruby remarked airily.  
Diana glanced at a speechless Anne, who was just as red as Gilbert. “Indeed.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
